Lifestyle Solutions for a Happy Healthy You!

Posts tagged ‘Essential Fatty Acids’

Omega 3 fatty acids are the equivalent of nutritional gold. That’s because they are nature’s anti-inflammatory nutrients and are used in most chemical functions in the body. While fatty fish is frequently considered the best source of this essential fatty acid, it is not the only source. If you’re looking for some plant-based sources of Omega 3s, be sure to check out the following 17 vegan food sources, not in any particular order due to portion size variation and variations in measuring different food types:

Mustard Oil—One tablespoon of mustard oil has 826 mg Omega 3s; however, mustard oil should not be used in higher doses due to possible liver toxicity.

There’s a lot of discrepancy about the amount of Omega 3s a person needs on a daily basis. To make matters worse, it’s a bit complex. Here’s why: there are three different types of Omega 3s–EPA, DHA, and ALA. Additionally, most experts agree that the amount should be between 500 to 1500 mg of EPA and 300 to 1000 mg of DHA, or about 800 to 1100 mg of ALA, as a starting point. If a person is dealing with specific health concerns the numbers may increase. The body can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, although there is some concern about how effectively ALA converts to DHA. Additionally, the ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s plays a significant role. While it is about 1:30 in most people’s diets (with far more Omega 6s than 3s) it should be closer to a 1:1 ratio.

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Are any of these an issue or problem for you? Would it make sense for us to spend several minutes together to discuss your needs and how HealthyHighway can meet them?As a Healthy Lifestyle Coach with an emphasis on allergies and wellness, Leesa teaches her clients to make informed choices and enables them to make needed changes for a Happy Healthy Lifestyle. What you eat, what products you use ~ on your body and in your home and office, how you talk to yourself ~ it all matters!

Does Your Brain Need an Oil Change?

Humans really are fat heads. About sixty percent of the human brain is fat. To maintain proper brain health, you need to get adequate fat from your diet. But, not just any fat will do. Some fats damage the brain. The Standard American Diet (SAD) high in trans and hydrogenated fats worsens inflammation in the body, and this inflammation can damage delicate brain tissues. These unhealthy fats are found in fried foods, shortening, lard, margarine, baked goods, and processed and prepared foods.

Healthy fats help keep the lining of brain cells flexible so that memory and other brain messages can pass easily between cells. Both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats are important to brain health and should be eaten in a one-to-one or two-to-one ratio to each other. However, the average North American eats these foods in a twenty-to-one to a fifty-to-one ratio, causing a huge imbalance and resulting Omega-3 deficiency. In this ratio, Omega-6 fats can cause or worsen inflammation, for which there is insufficient Omega-3 fats to keep inflammation under control. The typical diet, if it contains any healthy essential fatty acids, usually includes fats found in meat and poultry, or occasionally from nuts and seeds. Most of these fats are Omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fatty acids are found in the highest concentrations in corn, sunflower, and safflower oils. But, you are more than what you eat. I read somewhere that “you are what you eat eats.” So that means if you eat a diet with meat or poultry that was fed corn, or other grains high in Omega-6s, you’re getting lots of Omega-6s indirectly.

The best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include flax seeds or oil, walnuts and walnut oil, some types of algae, krill oil, and fatty coldwater fish, particularly wild salmon. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of Omega-3 fatty acid, makes up a large part of the lining of brain cells, helps to keep the cellular lining flexible enough to allow memory messages to pass between cells, promotes nerve transmission throughout the central nervous system, and protects the energy centers of the cells, called “mitochondria,” from damage.

Fish that contain high amounts of this Omega-3 fatty acid include mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon, lake trout, and herring. But be aware, some of these fish have become contaminated with mercury and, as you just learned in chapter two, some research links mercury to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. So, it is important to avoid fish that consistently shows up high on the mercury radar, including predatory fish like swordfish and shark, as well as sea bass, northern pike, tuna, walleye, and largemouth bass. Salmon raised in fish farms also frequently shows up with high amounts of mercury, not to mention that farmed salmon often contains antibiotic residues and lower levels of the important Omega-3 fatty acids.

Lifestyle Solutions for a Happy Healthy You!

Each person is unique and deserves a personalized approach when it comes to living healthy. What you eat, what products you use ~ on your body, in your home and office, how you talk to yourself ~ it all matters! Don't live in Atlanta? No problem. We do virtual coaching worldwide!
I look forward to helping YOU Live a Happy Healthy Life!
Leesa A. Wheeler, CNHP, CHS, CMSAT, CIC
Healthy Lifestyle Coach, Author of two books...
Live Well... Lifestyle Solutions for a Happy Healthy You!
Melodies from Within
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